Agenda DO NOW-Review SAT Words SAT Vocab-Fairy Tale with a Fairy Vocab in Context Practice Questions Quizbowl Independent Practice Exit Ticket

AVID III, Spring 2012 Vocabulary in Context

Why? The SAT has vocabulary section to test our understanding of the English language and the ability to break apart words and develop meaning. We know that communication is key in our academics and even our relationships with others. Being a good communicator is essential! (IB!!)

Our Goal There are three ways we are going to look at vocabulary today: by using context clues parts of words common ways to practice vocabulary so we can become awesome communicators!

Context Clues Context clues, or looking at the sentences around the missing word, can help us determine words we might not understand. Context by definition means the circumstances or facts that surround a certain event.

What’s my context?

So what…. Words are the same way! We can look at the circumstances or facts that surround the word and figure out what message the author is trying to get across. With those clues, we can determine the word!

Let’s look at an example of this from the SAT… In many parts of East Africa at that time, wild animals were so ---- that it was almost impossible for a photographer to approach close enough to film them. Rare Large Wary Numerous Unsightly What message is the author trying to get across? Let’s look at the context. Photographers can’t get close enough to film the animals. Why might that be?

Let’s disaggregate the answer choices.. In many parts of East Africa at that time, wild animals were so ---- that it was almost impossible for a photographer to approach close enough to film them. Rare- are the animals rare? They might be, but that has nothing to do with how CLOSE the photographer has to be. Large- hmm, maybe. Are large animals hard to approach? Wary- were the animals scared? That would make it very difficult to approach the animals. Numerous- would the number of animals make it hard to get close enough? No, I don’t think so. Unsightly- If the photographer couldn’t see them, how could he even try to film them?

Check! What are context clues? How can we find them? What do they tell us?

Second.. let’s talk about breaking apart words in order to find meaning. We can look at root words, prefixes, and suffixes to determine vocabulary we might not quite know.

On the SAT… Producing a dance concert is a----- effort, since the choreographer, dancers, composer, stage manage, stage crew, costume designer, and many others must all work together to successfully put the show on stage. A. Creative B. Concentrated C. Homogenous D. Combative E. Collaborative

Let’s look at the answer choices.. Producing a dance concert is a----- effort, since the choreographer, dancers, composer, stage manage, stage crew, costume designer, and many others must all work together to successfully put the show on stage. Creative? No – that has nothing to do with working together. Concentrated? Hmm…maybe. homogenous?- What does that mean? Wait, I can break it apart because I know homo means “the same”. Does that fit? Let’s move on and come back. Combative?- I’m not quite sure what that means. However, I see the root “combat” so that must mean conflict of some sort. Conflict isn’t working together, so that doesn’t work. Collaborative? I’ve heard that word before- collaborate. That fits “working together”!

Check! It’s E!! What’s the second way we can determine vocabulary? What are context clues? How can we use them?

Last… The last thing we want to discuss today are good practices for learning vocabulary.

Some ways to practice! Flashcards Thinking of Examples Using it in a sentence or story within “context” Thinking of synonyms Drawing pictures of the word Developing a clever way to remember it. Giving the word a movement. Finding examples of the word in literature, the internet, etc. Thinking of the opposite of the word (non-examples). Finding a “mnemonic” for the word or making a song out of or about the word. Learning roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

Check! What’s the second way we can determine vocabulary? What are context clues? How can we use them? What are some ways we can practice vocabulary? Why is having a strong vocabulary important?

Practice Quizbowl Flyswatters